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I had a little bit of free time on my hands last Saturday so I headed down to the Limerick boat ramp (Schuylkill River) about 5 minutes from my house. Since it was spur of the moment outing, just grabbed a spinning rod and a handful of 4" green pumpkin senkos and figured I'd fish the bank for a few hours. Really didn't catch much (except a ton of mosquito bites, ow!)

I caught mostly rock bass, and a couple small smallies. Wasn't planning on taking pictures of anything since everything seemed Smurf-like in stature, but as the session was coming to a close, figured I'd snap a few just to document the "experience." The best fish I caught actually was pretty nice sized, but he was a feisty bugger and kicked my hook as I was trying to grab his jaw to lift him from the water...photo-op gone in a splash. Ask K.C., when I got home I was a little mad at myself for that one.

I went back on Sunday afternoon and encountered much of the same, mosquitoes included.…

WALKER, Calif.—Government biologists are again pushing a plan to help preserve one of the country's rarest trout by first poisoning a remote Sierra stream to kill other fish, and critics are again battling the idea. The effort to restore the Paiute cutthroat trout in Silver King Creek, in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness just west of here and south of Lake Tahoe, isn't scheduled until mid-2010, but controversy is dogging the plan just as it did when the idea was first proposed in 2002."They want to put an agent in the water that kills everything," said Patty Clary of Californians for Alternatives to Toxics, a primary opponent of the project. "It's still a very exciting project, and it's very viable," counters Bob Williams, field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Reno. The federa…

All is well in the world. The Sixers announced today they are burying the Allen Iverson-era Black, White, Gold, etc...colors and going back to the patriotic Red, White, & Blue. Love it!

Sixers: Hooray for the Red, White and BlueBy Kate FaganINQUIRER STAFF WRITERThe 76ers are bringing retro back.Today in the lobby of the Comcast Center, the Sixers re-launched the red, white, and blue logo they first used in 1963, putting away the modern black, silver, and gold logo they have been using since the 1997-98 season.The "re-launching" was a short presentation that included Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider, Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski, new head coach Eddie Jordan, current Sixer Jason Smith, former player World B Free, and executive advisor Sonny Hill."By bringing back the old Sixers logo, we are connecting the past with the future," Snider said. "This logo evokes some of this franchise's proudest moments. We also made this change bec…

My family has been members & patrons of the Elmwood Park Zoo for slightly over 3 years. It's the kind of place that due to the locale, prior to one's first visit they may not have high expectations. However upon arriving they easily see what an asset this is for Norristown & the surrounding area.

Due to the current "tough times" across the country it is understandable that budgets everywhere are being scrutinized, however please take the time to review the email below, and if in agreement take action. The following was sent out by Bill Konstant, Executive Director/CEO of the Elmwood Park Zoo on Friday, June 19th.

Dear Friend of the Zoo,

As you may be aware, the proposed state budget eliminates funding for the six accredited zoos in Pennsylvania, including Elmwood Park Zoo. We rely upon this funding to help care for our animals during the winter months when we have fewer visitors.

Each year Elmwood Park Zoo attracts about 140,000 visitors, including nearly 40,…

It was mentioned in a previous post how when K.C. & I took Lilly to the circus last month, PETA was outside in all of their glory causing a ruckus about Elephant cruelty. Well, a popular Father's Day activity is evidently up next...

PETA Protesting Father's Day FishingNBC-2 reports7:55 p.m., Thursday, June 18, 2009 FORT MYERS BEACH — If you have been thinking about gassing up the boat and heading out for some fishing this Father's Day weekend, officials from PETA wants you to think again.The animal rights group spent Thursday afternoon on the Fort Myers Beach pier telling dads and fisherman that fishing is cruel.They were also saying that there are better things to do with your kids this Father's Day than go fishing."There's a common misconception that fishing is a good way to bond with your dad. That's no way to teach you child to be compassionate to other animals, much less human beings," said PETA member Colleen Higgins.Higgins says PETA membe…

Seems like there's a bunch of "MEGAFISH" shows on TV these days. 'River Monsters' was one of the first examples a little while back, and now the crazies NatGeo are bringing out 'Hooked!', Mondays at 10PM starting on June 29th. Looks good to me...can't wait to see the episode I'm sure they have lined up on the radioactive trout of Darby Creek...

Was watching ESPN Sportscenter tonight when they reminded the nation that today, 6/17, is the 15 year anniversary of the infamous low-speed "Bronco Chase." Inspired, I typed "O.J. Fishing" in Google Images, and this is the first result.Uhhh....ok.....Not sure if I agree with the humor (or Photoshop skills) of this Legman character, but if you do, you can find a ton more pictures like this here: http://mrlegman.com

I don't live in Illinois, but a lot of the folks on one of my favorite fishing sites (WhereIFish.com) do. They are hosting a catfish tournament in September, so I just figured I'd post about it to help get the word out.

2009 Mighty Muddy Catfish Classic If you know how to Catch Catfish this is your chance to win more than $10,000! Date---September 12th 2009Place---Sunset Marina, Rock Island, Illinois on The Mighty MississippiTime---7:00 AM---3:00 PM

To illustrate the likelihood of postrelease trout mortality, the Colorado Division of Wildlife produced a program illustrating what happens when certain factors come into play. These elements include severity of hooking injury, length of fight, size of fish, time out of water and water temperature. No distinction was made between flies or lures. All calculations were made for an 18-inch trout. Here are a variety of scenarios and the projected percentage of mortality:

I was clicking around YouTube tonight (& passively watching the NBA Finals) when I came across all of these odd fish videos. They were all about 5 to 10 seconds long and just appeared to be fish swimming. Couldn't tell if was real footage, or CGI...well some was pretty obvious. Here's an example:

Then watched it again and noticed there was a digital credit noting Harvard University. Huh?

So I looked into it a little more and found this link for Lauder Laboratories at Harvard University that evidently studies fish locomotion in great detail. Part of this process is taking and analyzing HD video of fish movement, hence the odd YouTube snippets. Actually according to the website, they study "Kinematics & Hydrodynamics of Fish Locomotion" and "Fish Robotics, Biomimetics & Mechanical Design," but I'm sure you figured that out already.

So...fish robotics? I'm down, bring it on Harvard. Especially if it means the advancement of sharks with…

Gilbert Cruz, of Lebanon, lifted the rod, flicked it to and fro a couple times, and allowed the line to settle on the water of Clarks Creek in northern Dauphin County, depositing the tiny fly onto the surface of a prime trout hole.

He leaned forward, following the drift of his fly studiously with his line of sight. At the end of the pass, which drew no strikes from trout, he stripped the line back into his lap and began another cast.

The wheels of his wheelchair dug into the gravel on the bottom of the stream, providing a sturdy base for his casting motions. The waters of the stream circled his bare legs, their cold temperatures ignored until it was absolutely time for his guides, Dennis Coffman and Dave Hrobuc…

My birthday was last Tuesday and my wonderful wife surprised me with another new trout t-shirt. I bought one from the same Etsy Shop last fall and wear it practically every weekend. (I blogged about it at the time).

Here's a pic of the new one:

FROM THE SITE: This design is titled "Action in the Riffles" It is my view of the explosive action which is constantly occuring in the riffles of the river or stream...oxygen churning into the water as fish get an oxygen rush while eating the emerging aquatic insects. I carved the drawing into a piece of white pine from which the image was printed.Link to the Byrdcall shop on Etsy:http://tinyurl.com/byrdcall

Two Mitchell County towns, Spruce Pine and Bakersville, will jointly host Troutacular!, a trout festival, simultaneously in both towns on Saturday .

Spruce Pine's fishing tournament, at Riverside Park, will focus on kids, to take advantage of opening day of delayed harvest trout waters June 6, when only kids can fish until noon. Kids can also paint (chalk) the Riverside Walking Path. There will be a free hotdog lunch and T-shirts, face painting and more. Bakersville will begin its Troutacular festivities at 6 a.m. Saturday with the fishing tournament on Cane Creek, open to ages younger than 16 with prizes including a Lifetime Fishing License. Competitions include casting…